Customer Reviews

Mosby's Massage Therapy Review, 2e

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I'm usually quite satisfied with books by Mosby's, but this one left much to be desired. What interested me most in the book was that it not only had questions and answers so that I could quiz myself, but it also had a discussion of those answers! I thought this aspect could really provide an efficent review, not only defining weak (and strong) spots, but providing the information essential to strenghthening those areas in a very targeted way. However, instead of taking advantage of the opportunity to REVIEW material or clarify a difficult concept in this "discussion" of why each answer is right or wrong for the given question, it will simply make a statement about the need to know the definitions or the need to understand a concept. My favorite example: "It is necessary to define all the terms in the question and answers to correctly answer the question". Yes, I guess that would help. No, those definitions are not included. This particular line is repeated as part of the discussion of the answer time after time as though it is novel, useful, and worth the printed page for a busy student who has a lot at stake here!
The questions are decent questions covering important material, but you can't count on this book for a REVIEW of the material or explanations of those answers if you should happen to need it. If you don't get a question right, this book will not help you to fill in the missing pieces - you will need many reference books at your fingertips to pick up the slack.

I just got back from taking the NCE, so now I feel I can make a good assessment of how well each of the review books I bought helped me to pass the test. Which I did btw, with high scores. I took the NCBTM test, not the NCBTMB test for those of you who know the difference.
To review for the test, I bought Mosby's(mainly because I read it had a CD-ROM of "NCE-type" questions), Review for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork Certification by J. Ashton, and The Plain & SImple Guide to Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork Certification by Laura Allen (highly recommended).
Just buy the last two. Mosby's is just a question and answer book really(the book has the exact same stuff as the CD, so why bother with a book?), and if you want an idea of what a computerized test would be like, the CD that comes with the Plain & Simple Guide is awesome. I liked it better. I thought Mosby's questions were too wordy, using a lot of complicated terminology. Not to say that it wouldn't be effective at all, I suppose it would be better to have Mosby's guide than to have no guide at all. I just wish they would have included an actual "review" in the book. Or at least explain why an answer is right (or wrong).

Wow! What a wonderful concept by Mosby to finally have a study guide for the National Certification Exam. This book is unlike any other in the fact that it hits every possible question type that you could encounter while taking the exam. This book was great in the sense that it allowed me to see where I was lacking, so therefore I could check over the material that I was less adequate in. I liked the information given on the different question types such as factual recall, clinical reasoning ect... It helped me to understand how to pass the National Exam. Therefore I am happy to give this book an astounding rating because it is something that has assisted me through my career. Thank you!

This is a good book for a general review for the NCETMB. It's well-written and quite organized. My study group and I used this book and the following, which is also sold on Amazon.com:
The Ultimate Study for the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Key Review Questions and Answers
Volume 1 (ISBN: 0971999643)
Volume 2 (ISBN: 0971999651)
Volume 3 (ISBN: 097199966X)
We all passed with flying colors. Make your life easier, definitely buy these 4 books.

I found the questions and answers in the book to be very helpful and very useful by reminding me to review material I have forgotten or I felt was not as important. The questions are quite deep and appropriate for the type of quide it is. The answers then gave me the information I needed to figure out why the answer was correct. If I answered a question answered incorrectly the answer section reminded me to research all words in the question, which in turn prepared me further. I think my clients will benefit from this book as well. It not only is a great study guide but also a great continuing education resource. To have a book that can help me study for a Massage and Bodywork board is excellent. I wish this was around sooner, I probably would have gone to the board a lot quicker. Thank you Sandy!

I am writing this review for those who are preparing for coming January NY State Board exam!!

I took my NY State Board exam in January and National exam in August. I used this book's cd to review for the National one. If you have a solid foundation, the cd can help you quickly fresh your knowledge. The other great review book is 'Review for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork Certification, by Joseph Ashton, & duke Cassel'

You can ignore the explanations from the book, but those from the cd are very helpful. Comparing the type of questions of the NY State Board exam I took and the National Certification one, Ny State Board's questions are more specific and A&P type than the the National one, which were more a common sense type. I remembered such one as "gift certifcate is recognized as revenue by massage therapist at 1)point of sale; 2) redemption." Comparing one from the NY State Board that I could recall: "which muscle is responsible for the limited ROM to the right: 1. right SCM; 2. left SCM; 3. right splenius capitis; 4. left splenius capitis.

Final word to massage therapist students, get familiar with your A&P. You cannot be a good (not to mention to be an excellent one) massage therapist without knowing the A&P well.

Good luck to you all.

This is a great way to prepare yourself for the National Certification Exam or even just to test yourself and the knowledge you have about massage therapy. I love the format- you know exactly where your strengths and weaknesses are. I found the CD-ROM to be especially helpful.

This review book was provided through my school when I started my externship. I studying from the book and cd. Should have just studied from the cd. The question are the same in the book. Which to me made me not want to study because the questions are repetative. The last two test I took on the cd, where exactly the same! I took my exam on Nov. 30th, 2005. Unfortunately, I did NOT pass. After getting my results, I decided NOT to use this book or cd again!

Overall, this book provides a very thorough review of massage therapy principles. I used it almost exclusively to study for the NCETMB (along with my notes and materials from school), and passed with flying colors on the first try. True, some of the questions are lengthy but they help synthesize different concepts together to give you a deeper understanding of the subject matter. I found the labeling exercises toward the end of the book to be particularly helpful in refreshing my knowledge of anatomy. While many of the questions may be more difficult than what you'll find on the actual exam, I contend that it's far better to be overprepared than underprepared. And without a doubt, there were several items on the exam that I would certainly have missed had I not studied with this book. All in all, a worthwhile investment.

The book itself is far more helpful than the cd rom that comes with it.
Study your meridians to be able to pass this exam because it is tough.